This invention concerns refrigerator cabinet constructions and more particularly a reinforcement for impact damage vulnerable areas of the cabinet.
Refrigerator cabinet designs often include the assembly of an outer steel case to a cabinet liner which mates with the steel outer case to define the refrigerator cabinet. The liner construction provides for a sanitary lining of the interior food storage areas.
If steel liners were used directly joined to the outer case, the impact damage problem would be eliminated due to the much greater strength of steel. However, a thermal break must be provided to prevent undue chilling of the cabinet outer case in the region where it is joined to the inner liner, hence the need for plastic breaker strips.
Alternatively, one-piece plastic liners are utilized, formed of a thin, vacuum-formed ABS or similar plastic, directly joined to the steel outer case.
One-piece liners may be formed at relatively low cost by the aforementioned vacuum forming and simplifies the assembly of the refrigerator cabinet over the use of separate breaker strips.
Despite these advantages, there is a disadvantage to the one-piece liner design in that if the liner is damaged, repair or replacement of the liner involves major disassembly or tedious and time-consuming procedures and/or less than satisfactory results. This damage typically occurs in the bottom front area of the liner, forward of the food storage drawers or shelves since this area is subject to impact by dropped items. Repair of such damage has typically included the use of epoxy resins, but such repair procedures are time-consuming since the repairman must wait while the materials cure, which contributes to the cost of such repairs. In addition, the result may not be aesthetically acceptable and hence this approach has not afforded an entirely satisfactory solution.
The only alternative would be replacement of the entire liner which would be even less satisfactory in terms of the parts cost and repair time involved.
There has thus heretofore been proposed and implemented reinforcement arrangements to decrease the vulnerability of this area of the liner to impact damage. Typically, this surface is sloped downwardly such that dropped objects will strike a glancing blow. However, the available space for sloping of the surface is limited and only slight inclinations may be formed into the liner such that impact damage still may easily occur.
Another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,481 in which the region in question is underlain by an adhesive, shock absorbing layer. While increasing the resistance to breakage, this requires redesign of the liner and creates an undesirable shoulder which makes the liner more difficult to wipe clean. It furthermore does not offer any solution to field repair of damaged liners.
Another approach in increasing the impact damage resistance to liners is to increase the thickness of the material in this region. However, the usual method for forming such liners, i.e., vacuum forming, limits the degree of increased thickness of materials which can be formed and the increased strength so obtainable is not sufficient to preclude continuing incidence of impact damage.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an impact reinforcement for refrigerator cabinet liners which does not necessarily require redesign of the refrigerator liner in order to be added to the refrigerator cabinet structure.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such an impact reinforcement which may also be utilized to repair liners which have become damaged in the field.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an impact reinforcement and repair method which is easily carried out and which provides superior protection for the vulnerable impact zone of refrigerator cabinet liners.